ABSTRACT
The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a dynamic structure that not only constitutes the tissue scaffold but, importantly, regulates cell behavior by modeling effective cellular environments and by instructing cellular phenotype. Moreover, the ECM also actively participates in the presentation of a wide variety of growth factors. In this context, the tightly controlled turnover of ECM is critical for maintaining lung structure and function. Lung fibrosis, a process characterized by an aberrant ECM remodeling, can be conceptualized as resulting from an imbalance in the equilibrium of synthesis and degradation of ECM molecules. A large number of enzymes are involved in extracellular matrix remodeling, primarily the family of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) which are able to cleave the various components of the ECM.
